The Steinbach Pistons extended their record of points earned in consecutive games to a dozen Saturday night in front of their biggest crowd of the season.
The Pistons held off a barrage of scoring chances during a chaotic opening 20 minutes en route to exacting their revenge on the Selkirk Steelers, upending the visitors 6-3. It was those same Steelers the night before that ended the Pistons’ 10-game winning streak, another record for the franchise since they moved to Steinbach in 2009. The Pistons are 11-0-1 in their last 12 contests.
Tied at two apiece after 20 minutes, the Pistons held the upper-hand, outshooting their opponents 31-15 in the last two periods.
Quinton Lisoway had his first of two goals, a wrister up high, five minutes into the middle frame to start a lead the Pistons would not relinquish.
Then, while shorthanded in the second, the Pistons’ Daniel Taillefer outskated a coasting defender for a loose puck in Selkirk’s zone, which the La Broquerie native happily scooped up to roof his team’s fourth, the eventual game-winner. He is fourth in the league scoring race.
The third period was an extension of Steinbach’s good fortune, with Lisoway firing a rifle above the goalie’s glove less than two minutes in to earn Steinbach a 5-2 edge.
Mackenzie Graham pocketed a power-play goal midway through the frame to make it 6-2. Selkirk’s Riley Derlago tallied the game’s last goal.
Steinbach’s Jeremy Wik turned aside 25 shots as the Pistons open a five-game home stand.
Captain Tyler Penner did not play Saturday after sustaining an upper-body injury the game prior. He will visit a doctor on Sunday, the Pistons said.
Despite points in 12 straight, the 37-9-3 Pistons are still back of the league-leading Portage Terriers. The margin is now nine points.
The Pistons’ next contest is Saturday, Feb. 6 against Swan Valley. Puck drop is at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday’s contest capped Millers Day in Steinbach, an annual minor hockey celebration in the city.